3358: What is Your Retirement Manifesto? by Kathleen Coxwell of New Retirement on Retirement Planning

Summary

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Optimal Finance Daily – Episode 3358

"What is Your Retirement Manifesto?" by Kathleen Coxwell of NewRetirement.com

Host: Diania Merriam
Published: November 19, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode, narrated by Diania Merriam, explores the concept of a "retirement manifesto" as proposed by Kathleen Coxwell. Rather than viewing retirement as simply the cessation of work, the episode encourages listeners to approach retirement as an opportunity to define personal values, goals, and identity for this next phase of life. Diania and Kathleen break down actionable steps for crafting a manifesto, linking personal purpose to retirement planning, and underscore the importance of meaning and active creation in retirement.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. What is a Retirement Manifesto?

• Definition: A manifesto is a declaration of intentions and motivations.
  • "Most big life events involve some kind of manifesto. Whether you call it that or not, contracts, wedding vows and employment agreements are all declarations of your intent."
    (Kathleen Coxwell, 01:09)
• Retirement’s Unique Potential: Retirement provides the freedom to define yourself outside of your career.
  • "In retirement, you're not defined by the work you do for money. This is your time to be defined by you."
    (Kathleen Coxwell, 01:38)

2. Steps for Creating a Retirement Manifesto

(Kathleen Coxwell outlines a step-by-step approach, [01:30–06:45])

• a. Write Down Your Beliefs ([02:02])

  • Consider anything from your core values to simple pleasures.
  • "Write down one thing or write down a hundred. It doesn't matter. Just document your beliefs."
    (Kathleen Coxwell, 02:17)

• b. List What You Want for the World ([02:29])

  • Envision global or local change: world peace, more literacy, fewer potholes, etc.
  • Document ideas on how you might contribute.

• c. Document Personal Truths ([03:03])

  • Reflect on life lessons, repeated mantras, or wisdom passed to others.

• d. Review Your Use of Time ([03:45])

  • Log how you spent last week, what brought joy, and what you’d prefer to minimize.

• e. Craft Your Personal "Bumper Sticker" ([04:17])

  • Condense your values or goals into a phrase, tagline, or quote.
  • Examples: “Just dance,” “Gone fishing,” “No music, no life.”

• f. Identify Roadblocks ([05:05])

  • Consider obstacles—bureaucracy, fear of failure, shyness—and brainstorm ways to overcome them.

• g. Write Your Manifesto Statement ([05:56])

  • Assemble your brainstorms into a succinct, positive statement. Use “power words.”

• h. Daily Review ([06:21])

  • Revisit your manifesto regularly—sticky note, digital reminder—to live in alignment with it.

• i. Integrate Into Retirement Planning ([06:48])

  • Pair your manifesto with a detailed financial plan for a more meaningful, secure retirement.

3. The Link Between Purpose and Financial Planning

• Having both a financial plan and a manifesto yields a stronger, more focused retirement.
  • “People with a retirement plan are more confident, happier and successful in retirement. For some people, it's the financial plan that's easier. Others might have an easier time creating their own retirement manifesto. Doing both will probably give you a stronger, more secure, focused and happier retirement overall.”
    (Kathleen Coxwell, 07:40)

4. Diania Merriam’s Commentary on Meaning in Retirement

• Many are excited to retire "from" work, but it's crucial to retire "to" something—some deeper sense of purpose.
  • "I've learned from the fire community that it's much more important to think about retiring to something."
    (Diania Merriam, 09:27)
• Mental Stimulation & Fulfillment: Avoid passive routines; instead, engage in activities that challenge and fulfill you.
  • "It's really easy to fall into the habitual ways you used to spend your free time when you were working, where the goal was to decompress... Restorative rest can look more active, like going for a walk, cooking a delicious meal, or growing an impressive garden." (Diania Merriam, 10:19)

5. Finding Purpose Through Action

• Do what drives your passion or addresses what upsets you about the world.
  • “One economy attendee suggested that you think about what really p—s you off and go do something about it. For her, she was angry about all the mistreated and neglected animals in the world, so now she spends most of her time volunteering to help fix that.” (Diania Merriam, 09:52)
• Active Creation: Fulfillment in retirement comes from creating, not just consuming.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Self-Definition in Retirement:
  "Retirement is your time. Your time to be who you want to be. You may be hampered by finances, but your time and beliefs are your own."
  (Kathleen Coxwell, 01:19)

• On Personal Accountability:
  "Writing a manifesto can be a great way of thinking about what you want out of your life and a way of holding yourself accountable for being who you want to be."
  (Kathleen Coxwell, 01:52)

• On Trivial to Profound Beliefs:
  "You believe in reading, cupcakes or even smiling at strangers. Write down one thing or write down a hundred. It doesn't matter."
  (Kathleen Coxwell, 02:16)

• On Fulfillment through Action:
  "Whether you're retired or not, actively creating tends to be much more fulfilling than passively consuming."
  (Diania Merriam, 10:45)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:09—Introduction to the concept of a manifesto and why it matters in retirement
• 02:02–06:45—Step-by-step guidance to create your retirement manifesto
• 06:45—How your manifesto strengthens your retirement plan
• 07:40—Research insights: retirement planning increases happiness/confidence
• 09:27—Diania’s commentary on retiring "to" something; stories from the FIRE community
• 10:19–10:45—Fulfillment, mental stimulation, and the difference between active and passive rest

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Key Takeaways

• Retirement is an opportunity to redefine yourself, establish new intentions, and pursue what matters most.
• Writing a retirement manifesto is a practical tool for aligning your daily life with your values and vision.
• Pairing your manifesto with a solid financial plan can greatly enhance your satisfaction and security in retirement.
• Prioritize active creation and meaningful engagement, both before and after retirement.

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For more steps and tools on retirement planning, visit NewRetirement.com.

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Transcript

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[Kathleen Coxwell]

This is Optimal Finance Daily. What is your retirement manifesto? By Kathleen coxwell of new retirement.com A manifesto is a declaration of an individual or group's intentions and motivations. Most big life events involve some kind of manifesto. Whether you call it that or not, contracts, wedding vows and employment agreements are all declarations of your intent. Retirement is actually an ideal time to write a manifesto. Retirement is your time. Your time to be who you want to be. You may be hampered by finances, but your time and beliefs are your own. And retirement is a perfect time to embody and promote your own ideals. In retirement, you're not defined by the work you do for money. This is your time to be defined by you. However, writing your own manifesto, an expression of your own intentions, opinions and vision, is much more powerful than a contract you sign. Have you ever written down your beliefs and goals just for your own betterment? Writing a manifesto can be a great way of thinking about what you want out of your life and a way of holding yourself accountable for being who you want to be. Here's some ideas for creating your retirement manifesto. 1. Write down what you believe in. What do you truly believe in? This can be anything. You can address God, family or love. But you might also think about more simple things. You believe in reading cupcakes or even smiling at strangers. Write down one thing or write down a hundred. It doesn't matter. Just document your beliefs. 2. Create a list of what you want for the world. Is there anything that you want for the world? World peace More literacy, eliminate light pollution, save the coral reefs, Less dogs in the shelter, fewer potholes in your town, More time with family. In addition to documenting what you want, you can write down some ideas you have for making it happen. What would you do if you were king or queen of the world? Then start a list for how you can take concrete action. Number three Document what you know to be true. Throughout our lives, we learn lessons big and small. Retirement is a wonderful time to document these lessons. If you're stumped, think about things you always said to your children, like life's not fair or School is important. Mantras that run in your head when you feel uncomfortable about something. Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end and rationale you've used for big life decisions, like being able to prioritize time outdoors or near cultural events. Number four Review how you've spent your time in the last week. It may be helpful for you to think through how you've spent your time over the last week. Write down the moments that you really enjoyed or made you feel good, and take note of the activities you'd rather do without. Use this exercise to inform your values and think about how to increase more of the good moments and less of the bad. Number five Decide what your bumper sticker would say. It can be fun to try to write your manifesto as a bumper sticker, an advertising tagline, or a country music lyric. These things use humor or powerful images and very few words to document big, powerful ideas. Just do it. What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about? Read no music, no life. If you want a stable relationship, get a horse. Just dance. Gone fishing. God is my co pilot, my dog is smarter than your honors student, and the road goes on forever and the party never ends. If bumper stickers aren't your thing, identify some quotes that really represent you and what you stand for. Or think about themes from favorite books or movies and think about translating those themes into your manifesto. Identify roadblocks to living your manifesto. It might be important for you to think through what might prevent you from achieving or living according to your manifesto. These might be societal roadblocks like bureaucracy or personal traits that you need to overcome, like being able to better overcome failures, mistakes, disappointment, or hardship, taking more risks, overcoming shyness or breaking bad habits. Then brainstorm ideas for how you can overcome your roadblocks. 7. Use your ideas to write a powerful statement representing your manifesto. Once you've brainstormed and have an idea about your manifesto, it's time to craft it into a document. It can be quite short or you can write more, but it probably shouldn't be longer than a page. A bulleted list of goals, beliefs, and personal strengths is okay. You'll want to use positive statements, say what you want, not what you don't want, and look up a list of power words to supercharge your sentences. Number eight Review your manifesto daily. Whether you stick it on your bathroom mirror or send it to yourself in a digital daily reminder, reviewing your manifesto daily will help you begin to live your life more mindfully and in concert with what you believe. And number nine make your retirement manifesto part of your retirement plan. Everyone should have a detailed financial plan for their retirement. Your financial plan might become stronger once you have a written retirement manifesto, since you'll have a clearer picture of what's important to you. Luckily, new retirement makes it easy to create, improve and maintain a thorough retirement plan. The new Retirement Retirement Planner gives you fast answers about your retirement finances. You start by entering some basic information and then you get a detailed assessment. You can then rapidly assess different options. Creating a written retirement plan is not done by everyone. However, the research suggests that people with a retirement plan are more confident, happier and successful in retirement. For some people, it's the financial plan that's easier to do. Others might have an easier time creating their own retirement manifesto. Doing both will probably give you a stronger, more secure, focused and happier retirement overall. You just listened to the post titled what Is yous Retirement Manifesto? By Kathleen Coxwell of NewRetirement.com Imagine you're.

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While many people get excited about the idea of retiring from work, I've learned from the fire community that it's much more important to think about retiring to something. Over 30% of the attendees who come to my yearly party about money, called the Economy Conference, are already financially independent and or retired, so this is a big topic of discussion. How do you find meaning in retirement? Retirement is a significant life event that can be full of opportunities for personal growth and fulfillment. However, many people struggle to find meaning and purpose in retirement, which can lead to feelings of boredom, isolation, and even depression. One economy attendee suggested that you think about what really p s you off and go do something about it for her. She was angry about all the mistreated and neglected animals in the world, so now she spends most of her time volunteering to help fix that. I've heard time and time again how important it is to keep yourself mentally stimulated in retirement. It's really easy to fall into the habitual ways you used to spend your free time when you were working, where the goal was to decompress. And there's nothing wrong with spending time in front of the TV or other forms of passive consumption. But consider that too much of this isn't actually restful. Restorative rest can look more active, like going for a walk, cooking a delicious meal, or growing an impressive garden. Whether you're retired or not, actively creating tends to be much more fulfilling than passively consuming. That'll do it for this episode. Have a happy rest of your day and I'll be back with you again tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.